1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to oil filter devices and, more particularly, to oil filter devices mounted on motor vehicles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of oil filtering devices for motor vehicles is known in the prior art. In my prior patent U.S. Pat. No. 5,510,024 there is disclosed a magnet assembly or attachment for magnetically collecting metallic particles within an oil filter. That inventive device includes a pair of magnets supported in a spaced relationship by a carrier which latter is positionable substantially anywhere along an exterior of an oil filter canister. The carrier serves an additional function of a heat sink. A shunt couples opposite poles of the magnets together to increase the magnetic flux directed into the oil filter to separate and retain metallic particles from the filtered fluid.
An oil lubrication circuit of a motor vehicle includes a variety of components, and such components generally include a mounting stem for an oil filter, an oil output channel in the mounting stem for allowing filtered oil to exit from the oil filter and circulate in the oil lubrication circuit, and an oil input channel, present in the engine for channelling oil from the engine into the oil filter.
The interior of a conventional oil filter generally includes a centrally located filtered oil flow space and an array of filter material arrayed circumferentially around the centrally located filtered oil flow space. Inside the conventional oil filter, oil flows in a diffuse pattern radially from circumferential positions outside the filter material, through the filter material, and into the centrally located filtered oil flow space. It is noted that when the magnet attachment is used for a conventional oil filter, as disclosed in the above-mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,510,024, only a relatively small portion of the oil flowing through the conventional oil filter cartridge is exposed to strong magnetic fields as the oil flows through the conventional oil filter. To increase the efficiency of a magnet attachment for an oil filter suitable for trapping potentially harmful metallic or ferro-magnetic particles and thereby separating the ferro-magnetic particles from the flowing oil, it would be desirable if an oil filter construction were provided which directs a concentrated flow of oil inside the oil filter cartridge in the vicinity of a magnet attachment.
Still other features would be desirable in a combined oil filter and magnet apparatus. It would be desirable if a removable and reusable magnet unit were provided that can easily be fitted into and can easily be removed from an oil filter. In addition, since, in a conventional oil filter, the centrally located filtered oil flow space is relatively unobstructed, it would be desirable if a removable and reusable magnet unit can be fitted into the centrally located filtered oil flow space.
As stated above, it is desirable if a concentrated flow of oil inside an oil filter is directed to the vicinity of a magnet attachment. With this in mind, and with the idea of using the unobstructed centrally located filtered oil flow space to good advantage, it would be desirable if an oil flow director were installed in the centrally located filtered oil flow space so as to direct a concentrated flow of oil to the vicinity of a removable and reusable magnet unit.
A conventional oil filter normally is disposed of after use. A removable and reusable magnet unit used with such a disposable oil filter offers economic advantages. More specifically, it would be desirable if a combined oil filter and magnet apparatus were provided which employs a disposable and replaceable oil filter cartridge and employs a removable and reusable magnet unit that can be removed from the oil filter after cleaning thereof and prior to insertion of a replaceable oil filter cartridge. Such a device can be reused as a new or fresh oil filter cartridge without disposing of the original oil filter housing.
Thus, while the foregoing body of prior art indicates it to be well known to use a conventional oil filter that has a magnet attachment attached thereto, the prior art described above does not teach or suggest a combined oil filter and magnet apparatus which has the following combination of desirable features: (1) directs a concentrated flow of oil inside the oil filter housing in the vicinity of a magnet attachment; (2) can easily be fitted into and can easily be removed from an oil filter housing; (3) provides a removable and reusable magnet unit can be fitted into the centrally located filtered oil flow space of an oil filter; (4) provides an oil flow director that is installed in the centrally located filtered oil flow space so as to direct a concentrated flow of oil to the vicinity of a removable and reusable magnet unit; (5) employs a disposable and replaceable oil filter cartridge and employs a removable and reusable magnet unit that can be removed from an oil filter after cleaning and prior to insertion of a fresh oil filter material cartridge such that the oil filter may be reused as a new or fresh oil filter; and (6) employs a disposable and replaceable oil filter and employs a removable and reusable magnet unit that can be reused with another, fresh oil filter after the original oil filter with which it was used has been discarded.
The foregoing desired characteristics are provided by the unique combined oil filter and magnet apparatus of the present invention as will be made apparent from the following description thereof. Other advantages of the present invention over the prior art also will be rendered evident.
To achieve the foregoing and other advantages, the present invention, briefly described, provides a combined oil filter and magnet apparatus that generally is comprised of an oil filter housing which includes an oil output fitting, a filter material/flow director support attached to the oil output fitting, a removable quantity of filter material attached to the filter material/flow director support, a centrally located filtered oil flow space defined by the quantity of filter material, and a housing attached to the oil output fitting which houses the filter material/flow director support, the quantity of filter material, and the centrally located filtered oil flow space. The oil filter housing includes a bottom housing portion attached to the oil output fitting, wherein the bottom housing portion includes oil input channels and includes an oil sealing ring, and further includes an oil flow director attached to the filter material/flow director support and extending into the centrally located filtered oil flow space. A removable and reusable magnet unit is adapted to be attached to a receptacle in the filter housing that protrudes into the centrally located filtered oil flow space defined by the quantity of filter material supported in the filter housing, whereby when installed in the receptacle the removable and reusable magnet unit is in the vicinity of oil flow directed by the oil flow director.
With one embodiment of the invention, the removable and reusable magnet unit includes a magnet unit that is partially received in the centrally located filtered oil flow space. The internally-received removable and reusable magnet unit is partially nested in a receptacle inside the oil flow director. The oil flow director and the receptacle are oriented along a central longitudinal axis of the oil filter. The filter housing includes a magnet unit entry port located distal to the oil output fitting, and a portion of the removable and reusable magnet unit extends into the receptacle and the centrally located filtered oil flow space.
The removable and reusable magnet unit includes a first lock bolt reception channel. The oil filter housing further includes magnet unit support members attached to the housing proximal to the opening of the magnet unit receiving receptacle, and the magnet unit support members include second lock bolt reception channels. A lock bolt is received in the first lock bolt reception channel and the lock bolt reception channels, and a lock pin is received in the lock bolt for securing the lock bolt to the magnet unit support members and the removable and reusable magnet unit.
The removable and reusable magnet unit further includes a magnet support rack and a plurality of individual magnets are received in the magnet support rack. The magnet support rack also includes the first lock bolt reception channel. The magnet support rack extends along a central longitudinal axis of the oil filter. The magnet support rack includes a heat sink portion, and the first lock bolt reception channel is located in the heat sink portion.
The magnets are cylindrical magnets, and each cylindrical magnet has a north pole end and a south pole end at opposite longitudinal ends of a respective magnet. The cylindrical magnets are arrayed in the magnet support rack with their respective longitudinal axes lying in planes that are parallel to each other. In addition, the cylindrical magnets are arrayed in the magnet support rack with their respective longitudinal axes rotated ninety degrees in their respective planes with respect to longitudinal axes of adjacent cylindrical magnets. A flux-field re-directing member is associated with the topmost magnet in the magnet support rack.
With another embodiment of the invention, the removable and reusable magnet unit includes a removable and reusable magnet unit that is completely external to the centrally located filtered oil flow space. The removable and reusable magnet unit is located on the oil filter housing along a central longitudinal axis of the oil filter. The removable and reusable magnet unit includes a heat sink portion that rests on the oil filter housing, and a magnet is adapted to be attached to a topside of the heat sink portion.
The oil filter further includes a pair of magnet unit support members connected to the oil filter housing. The magnet unit support members include lock bolt reception channels, and the magnet unit support members extend longitudinally outward from the oil filter housing.
The oil flow director can include a flat director base portion and a director wall portion that extends longitudinally outward from the flat director base portion.
With yet another embodiment of the invention, the oil filter housing can include a first housing portion which includes external threads and can include a second housing portion which includes an outer wall portion which includes internal threads. In this respect, the first housing portion and the second cartridge housing portion are connected together by screwing the external threads into the internal threads.
With another aspect of the invention, the second housing portion includes the oil output fitting which includes a baffle portion for directing oil flow from the oil flow director.
With yet another embodiment of the invention, the oil output fitting of the second housing portion includes an annular fitting shoulder which receives a top portion of the oil flow director. The filter housing includes a flat annular region, and an annular shoulder extending toward the bottom housing portion from the flat annular region. With still another embodiment of the invention, the first housing portion includes a flat bottom.
With yet another embodiment of the invention, the second housing portion includes an upstanding lip, and the first cartridge housing portion includes a wrap-around rolled edge which fits tightly over and around the upstanding lip.
With still another embodiment of the invention, the director wall portion can be comprised of a plurality of planar wall portions which form a polygonal or square cross-section director. The square cross-section director can be formed from a flow director blank which includes a wall lock tab, a lock tab reception notch, and a plurality of wings.
The above brief description sets forth rather broadly the more important features of the present invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contributions to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will be for the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining several alternatively preferred embodiments of the invention in detail, it is understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of the construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood, that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for designing other structures, methods, and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved combined oil filter and magnet apparatus which has all of the advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved combined oil filter and magnet apparatus which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved combined oil filter and magnet apparatus which is of durable and reliable construction.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved combined oil filter and magnet apparatus which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such combined oil filter and magnet apparatus available to the buying public.
Still yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved combined oil filter and magnet apparatus which directs a concentrated flow of oil inside the oil filter in the vicinity of a magnet attachment.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved combined oil filter and magnet apparatus that can easily be fitted into and can easily be removed from an oil filter housing.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved combined oil filter and magnet apparatus which provides a removable and reusable magnet unit that can be fitted into the centrally located filtered oil flow space of an oil filter.
Even another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved combined oil filter and magnet apparatus that provides an oil flow director that is installed in the centrally located filtered oil flow space so as to direct a concentrated flow of oil to the vicinity of a removable and reusable magnet unit.
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved combined oil filter and magnet apparatus which employs a disposable and replaceable oil filter cartridge and employs a removable and reusable magnet unit that can be reused with the oil filter after a new oil filter cartridge has replaced a prior, used oil filter cartridge.
Yet still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved combined oil filter and magnet apparatus which employs a disposable and replaceable oil filter and employs a removable and reusable magnet unit that can be reused with another, fresh oil filter after the original oil filter with which it was used has been discarded.
These together with still other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.